Healthy Hangouts: 5 Minutes with Jessica Sepel

Posted on June 18, 2015

I was reading this girls blog before I even knew what one was. Jessica Sepel is a huge influencer on the health and wellness scene, with roaring eBook sales, guidance and helpful tips, she’s now been picked up by a large publishing house to produce her own book due out later this year. Since the growth of The Fit Foodie, i’ve been bumping into her at the health foodie events around Sydney. She’s just as glowing and beautiful in real life *girl crush*.

While Jess knows all about the best nutrition and exercise, she’s also a big advocate of listening to your body and doing what is nourishing for you. Not what the latest health trend says. JS also has a bagin’ YouTube platform where she collaborates with other health foodies to bring you live cooking demos. She’s making healthy eating and living accessible to everyone, and that gets me excited.

1. HOW DID YOUR JOURNEY TO BECOMING A HEALTH BLOGGER, NUTRITIONIST AND WELLNESS COACH BEGIN?

Like so many young women, I spent my teenage years and early 20s struggling with negative body image. I tortured myself to the point that food was the enemy. It took some time, but I finally realised that hating on my body was impacting every aspect of my life. From that point on, I committed to understanding nutrition, and how my body works. I am now a qualified clinical nutritionist, health blogger and wellness coach, and have started my own business, JSHealth! Social media has been a huge part of helping me expand my company and vision.

2. WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

The JSHealth community inspires me! They’re so excited about wellness. I love sharing ideas and recipes and seeing how they take off and run with them.

3. YOUR DAY ON A PLATE?

I wake up to a glass of warm lemon water to fire up digestion and detoxify my body after a good night’s sleep.

My 8:00 breakfast is usually a power protein smoothie topped with mixed nuts and seeds, homemade granola with organic Greek yoghurt, gluten-free oats, or 2 eggs – boiled or scrambled with steamed greens and avocado.

Mid-morning is green juice time, typically kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, lemon and ginger. I often add a handful of raw walnuts or raw veggies with nut butter or hummus.

By 1:00 it’s lunchtime – I usually have a dark, leafy green salad with a portion of protein (fish, chicken, lean grass-fed meat or beans) with quinoa or brown rice. I also include a good fat like avocado, hummus, or a sprinkle of mixed seeds. My favourite salad dressing is a combination of olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, miso paste and Dijon mustard – yum!
Around 4:00 I’ll have a snack to keep my blood sugar stable until dinner. I love a cup of herbal tea with a quarter cup of raw nuts, or perhaps a homemade bliss ball.

I try to have dinner as early as possible, so I typically around 7:00. One of my favourite dinners is salmon with cauliflower mash and steamed broccoli – I love cruciferous vegetables!

And I make room for a treat! I always have a cup of chai tea, but if I feel like something sweet I’ll have dessert at about 9:00. Enjoying a couple squares of quality dark chocolate, 2 dates with almond butter, or a homemade cacao ball…it is a great way to end the day!

4: FAVOURITE WAY TO GET MOVING?

In general, I practice Yoga two times per week. I also love to get Pilates and weight training into my weekly schedule. Bone and muscle strength is so important for weight maintenance and general wellbeing. I love brisk walking, and when I have the time I love a good HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout. I also make sure to take Natures Way Women’s Multivitamin to ensure I have the best energy levels. This gives me an iron and antioxidant boost, which keeps me healthy and thriving. It’s also a great source of vitamin A, B, C and E to reduce oxidative stress and free radicals.

I am the biggest coffee lover! While I believe it’s healthy to indulge in one coffee per day, there are definitely some days when I sneak in a second coffee in the afternoon!

7. TOP SONG ON YOUR PLAYLIST

Shake It Off – Taylor Swift

Justin Bieber – All That Matters

Stay With Me – Sam Smith

Prayer in C – Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz

8. YOUR MANTRA

“Let it go.” It is my belief that when we hold on emotionally, we hold on physically. Now that I’m in a healthier frame of mind, I believe my thoughts will create my reality. I let go of what doesn’t serve me.

Sal is on a mission to prove that healthy and nutritious doesn’t have to be boring – and that even while staying in shape you can have your cake and eat it too. After losing 14kg from adopting a healthier lifestyle, she shares her journey with others on The Fit Foodie Blog. She also writes for national health magazines, has launched a range of Protein Ball Mixes: Fit Mixes, and is the author of Love Move Eat (Bauer Media, 2017).

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